June 7, Sean Griffin, professor of film and media studies at the SMU Dallas Meadows School of the Arts, for a commentary providing insight into the rift between Disney and GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, and the corporate tightrope act of engaging in the culture wars. Published in the New York Times under the heading I Know Why Disney Is Fighting DeSantis: https://tinyurl.com/4nv5vjv8
The culture wars have come for corporate America. In the days and weeks leading up to Pride Month, right-wing critics have levied boycotts and even threats of violence at Bud Light, Target and Kohl’s for merchandise and marketing campaigns affiliated with the L.G.B.T.Q. community. Even Chick-fil-A, the chicken-sandwich seller that has historically been aligned with conservative causes, drew sudden condemnation for an existing diversity, equity and inclusion policy.
Companies are rarely exemplars of courage, and some — particularly Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light’s brewer — switched course almost immediately. But the noise is obscuring a bigger transformation amid the growing politicization of big business. Big businesses are increasingly being forced to take sides, and the realities of doing business with modern-day consumers and employees are increasingly pushing some companies to side with the L.G.B.T.Q. community.